Zira (Gurpreet Singh): The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has adjourned its decision regarding the operation of Malbros International Private Limited’s 180 KLD ethanol unit at Mansoorwal Kalan village near Zira, Punjab. The tribunal will now hear the matter on November 24, after objections were raised by the Public Action Committee (PAC) about the plant lacking proper environmental clearance (EC) for fuel-grade ethanol production.
The Malbros facility has been at the centre of controversy for years, with local residents alleging severe groundwater contamination. Borewell water in surrounding areas reportedly turned discoloured, odorous, and chemically unsafe, with laboratory tests indicating high levels of heavy metals and other pollutants. These issues led to protests, legal challenges, the plant’s temporary closure, and the Punjab government withdrawing its consent for operations.
PAC representatives highlighted during the hearing that the plant’s existing EC covers molasses-, grain-, or yeast-based ethanol, but not fuel ethanol, the product Malbros now proposes to manufacture. The NGT bench, comprising Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, and expert member Afroz Ahmad, directed the Punjab government to submit its response within a week and asked Malbros to address all regulatory queries.
Malbros has proposed to permanently shut down its distillery unit while keeping the ethanol facility operational under a zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) system, which has been in place since 2018. The factory had halted production in July 2022 following sustained protests by the Sanjha Zira Morcha, which accused the unit of polluting air, water, and soil.
PAC’s 2022 petition claimed the plant was contaminating groundwater within a 4-km radius through effluent dumping and reverse boring. The Punjab government has consistently opposed the resumption of operations until full compliance with environmental regulations is confirmed.
At the previous hearing on September 9, both PAC and the state requested additional time to submit objections regarding Malbros’ selective restart plan. The tribunal will review all submissions before taking a final decision on the environmental clearance issue.
